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Belgrade Centre for Human Rights

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Children Criminal Justice Human Rights International Law Justice Media Minority Rights Refugees Religion Torture Women/gender Equality Gender Issues and Advancement of Women: Advocacy and outreach Human rights of women Research Trafficking in women and girls Violence against women Social Development: Employment Poverty Youth Statistics: Crime and criminal justice statistics
Geographic scope:	National
Country of activity:	Serbia
Millennium Development Goals:	Promote gender equality and empower women
Mission statement:	The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights was established by a group of human rights experts and activists in February 1995 as a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. The main purpose of the Centre is to study human rights and humanitarian law, to disseminate knowledge about them and to educate individuals engaged in this area. It hopes, thereby, to promote the development of democracy and rule of law in Serbia and other successor states of the former Yugoslavia and societies in transition from authoritarian to democratic rule. The recipients of the services of the Centre and its target groups are members of legislative bodies, law enforcement officers, NGO activists, military officers, teaching staff at universities and other educational institutions and their students, journalists, etc. Educational efforts of the Belgrade Centre are directed towards professionals who have the crucial role in carrying out the reforms of the country, as well as younger generations. The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights has organised more than two hundred seminars and roundtables in the country and in the region, established training programs for future lecturers on human rights issues and judges; hosted international conferences and lectures on issues of human rights and democracy. The Centre has also published over 90 books. Among them are university level textbooks on human rights and public international law, collections of essays on human rights and humanitarian law, collections of international human rights documents, translations of books of foreign authors, translations of the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur for Former Yugoslavia, constitutional principles for Serbia and Yugoslavia and a model Media Law. Research activities of the Centre have been in the areas of the legislative improvements in the time of transition, transitional justice, ethnic nationalism and minority rights in the cycle of ethnic conflicts, human security, truth and reconciliation and public perceptions of the ICTY and attitudes towards the ICTY and domestic for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Belgrade Centre has been the first NGO in Serbia to produce and present an alternative report to the UN monitoring bodies. Back in 1999 it published the report about the implementation of economic and social rights in the then Yugoslavia, a year later about the cultural rights and, since 1998 it has published its comprehensive annual reports on human rights in FRY/Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia. The Centre has also been involved in public promotional activities, drafting model laws and constitutional reform proposals, projects for the reform and improvement of state institutions, humanitarian assistance, free legal aid to victims of violations of human rights and NGOs capacity building and networking. For its achievements in the area of human rights, the Centre was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize for 2000. The Belgrade Centre is member of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) and the Balkan Human Rights Network. The Centre has been the implementing partner of the UNHCR since 2012. The founding Director of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights was Dr. Dr. h. c. Vojin Dimitrijevic, former Professor of International Law and International Relations at the University of Belgrade Law School, former Vice-Chairman of the UN Human Rights Committee, member of the Institut de Droit International, member of the Venice Commission for Democracy trough Law, Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice and member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. Current Executive Director of the BCHR is Sonja Tošković.
Year established:	1995
Year of registration:	1995
Organizational structure:	Bodies of the Belgrade Centre are the Assembly, the Governing Board, the Supervisory Board and the Advisory Board. The Assembly of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights is composed of all members of the Association. The Assembly adopts the plan and program of work, adopts the Statute and amendments thereto; examines and adopts the report of the Governing Board, at least once a year; examines and adopts a financial plan and report; elects and releases members of the Governing Board and elects and dismisses members of the Advisory Board. The Governing Board (composed of 5 members with a term of 4 years) is the executive body of the Centre. It is responsible for the implementation of the objectives of the Centre and the decisions of the Assembly. The Governing Board elects the Director, Executive Director. The Director of the Centre represents the Centre and has the rights and obligations of treasurer. The Executive Director is authorized to represent the Centre and sign all financial documents on behalf of the Centre. The Governing Board co-ordinates the work of the Centre between Assembly sessions and adopts decisions for the implementation the Centre's objectives; organizes the daily activities of the Centre; entrusts special tasks to members; adopts financial decisions and decides on opening and closing of local and regional branch offices of the Centre. The Supervisory Board (composed of 3 members with a term of 4 years) controls the financial activities of the Centre and informs the Governing Board of any irregularity, without delay. The Supervisory Board submits a report at each Assembly Session. The Advisory Board discusses all important questions for the Centre and submits its proposals and suggestions to the Governing Board. Current members of the Governing Board are: Prof. Vesna Petrović, Miloš Stojković, Dr Vesna Pešić, Igor Bandović and Nenad Petković. Current members of the Council are: Srđan Darmanović, Prof. Yoram Dinstein, Prof. Jochen Abr. Frowein, Prof. Dragor Hiber, Prof. Aleksandra Jovanović, Dr Ivan Janković, Morten Kjærum, Prof. Miomir Matulović, Prof. Göran Melander, Prof. Vladimir Vodinelić, dr Slobodan Vučetić and Prof. Nevena Vučković Šahović a former membr of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	Human Rights House Network, Association of Human Rights Institutes, European Council on Refugees and Exiles, Coalition for Monitoring Child Rights, Balkan Human Rights Network, South East European Network, Coalition for Free Access to Information
Funding structure:	Foreign and international grants

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